Author: Rhys Gregory

An ambitious plan to build more than 4,000 high-quality homes across the city and tackle a range of issues, including fire safety, repairs and homelessness, is at the heart of one of Cardiff Council’s latest core initiatives. The Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Business Plan for 2022-2023, which will be considered by the council’s Cabinet on Thursday March 10, outlines a series of wide-ranging objectives including: Building new council homes; Investing in existing homes and community facilities; Preventing homelessness; Tackling poverty and supporting people into work; and Moving towards zero carbon. The key proposal is a commitment to build more than…

The stand on gambling and casinos varies in different parts of the world. On the one hand, you have countries like the UK and US where casinos are thriving and have even created a culture—take Las Vegas, for instance. In other countries, gambling might not have been popular, but it’s slowly starting to rub off on people. In Canada, the uptake of casinos is a bit slow, but in states like China, more people are joining in on casino entertainment and cities such as Macau, “the Vegas of the East” are coming up. Some nations such as Qatar, UAE, and…

Denbighshire Leisure is lighting up its buildings in Ukraine’s flag colours of yellow and blue to show solidarity. Famous landmarks in countries across the world are being lit up to show support to Ukraine following the Russian invasion. Rhyl Pavilion theatre, 1891 restaurant and bar, the Ruthin Craft Centre, The Sky Tower in Rhyl, as well as bus stops and shelters across the coast, will be lit in yellow and blue this week. Jamie Groves, Managing Director of Denbighshire Leisure Ltd, said: “The thoughts of the whole company are with those affected by the situation in Ukraine. We wanted to…

A popular Mid Wales steam railway has kicked off its new running season with a record breaking half term week. Talyllyn Railway, based in Tywyn, Southern Snowdonia, reported its busiest ever half term, exceeding the pre-pandemic 2020 half term by more than 50%. Steam trains continue to run every weekend in March, before starting daily services on April 2 which continue through until November 6. The railway has returned to its popular ‘hop on – hop off’ explorer tickets which allows passengers to alight the train and explore the amazing valley with highlights such as Dolgoch Falls or a walk…

Detectives investigating the murder of June Fox Roberts in November last year are appealing for help from the public. Officers from the Major Crime Investigation Team are trying to locate a missing iPhone which belonged to the victim. They are also trying to locate two items of clothing which they suspect have been discarded. Mobile Phone: The missing iPhone 11 is in a red flip case. The IMEI is 356809119984924 and the serial number is GONDC2KFM737. Officers believe the phone, which was not known to be damaged, may have been dropped, discarded or even sold to an unsuspecting buyer back…

A wide-ranging public consultation to examine the impact of expanding Pentyrch Primary School has revealed broad approval for the plan. Under proposals revealed last summer, the existing school capacity of 140 pupils would be expanded to 210 and a 48-place nursery would be created to offer childcare and pre-school education for three-year-olds, in line with Cardiff Council policy. The Council believes that new housing planned for north-west Cardiff will mean a greater demand for school and nursery places and it is planned that part of the cost of the scheme will be funded by contributions from developers. On December 14…

Cardiff Council has agreed in principle to acquire 30 new flats for older people in Wyndham Crescent, Riverside, as part of its ambitious plan to create 4,000 new homes across the city. The development will be built by a private developer on the site of the former Seel and Co building, near the junction with Cowbridge Road East, and once complete the flats sold to the council. The development will comprise 30 one-bed apartments spread over three storeys. They will all have access to a private outdoor space and are in a highly sustainable location with direct access to a…

Cardiff Council is planning to create Wales’ first Youth Zone in Ely as part of exciting new plans for youth services in the city. Youth Zones – purpose-built, state-of-the-art hubs offering youngsters affordable access to a wide range of sports, cultural and leisure activities – are already proving popular at 14 locations across England. They are set up initially through the OnSide charity, using a mixture of donations alongside government and local authority grants. Once they are up and running, responsibility for them is passed on to newly-created local charities. Entry fees at an average Youth Zone cost around 50…

Growing our own food on allotments has been one of the more popular ways of keeping active during the pandemic and Cardiff Council is keen to ensure as many of us as possible can get back to the land. There are currently 28 allotment sites across the city, made up of more than 3,400 plots tended by around 2,400 holders but during the pandemic the waiting list of people eager to grow their own fruit and vegetables has grown from 793 in 2020 to 1,292. Now, the Council is proposing an overhaul of its allotment services to take into account…

Wildlife experts at Cardiff Council have asked the public to avoid touching or feeding birds at Roath Park Lake after a goose was found to have died of avian flu. The body of a greylag goose was handed in to park wardens on February 24 and tests this week confirmed the H5N1 virus. A further six bird carcasses from the park were handed in this week and staff believe the same strain of flu is to blame. Avian influenza is not unusual and is most common during the winter when it can be passed on by migrating birds arriving in…